The Principle of Human Dignity:
“Every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, and therefore is invaluable and worthy of respect as a member of the human family.”
This is the most important part of Catholic social teaching. It says that any person, no matter what distinguishing characteristics they may have, is entitled to the same amount of respect as any other person. As the article says, “It is not what you do or what you have that gives you a claim on respect; it is simply being human that establishes your dignity.” Although each individual has his or her dignity, Catholicism teaches that community and involvement should be sought instead of individualism.
I believe very strongly about this particular building block of Catholic social teaching. Because every person is created in God’s image, I think that everyone has a right to respect from each other. Also, I believe that human dignity and human interaction relate to each other: if a person is respected, that person will probably be included into a society. Therefore, the idea of belonging is very important to the existence of human dignity. Finally, I believe in this because it creates a positive effect for everyone.
The Principle of Respect for Human Life:
“Every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, has inherent dignity and a right to life consistent with that dignity”
This idea of Catholic social teaching states that life, in all of its aspects and facets throughout the entire process, is entitled to protection and respect. “It is always wrong directly to attack innocent human life.” The protection of life is a vital part of any good and just society.
I also believe in this aspect of Catholicism, though I have a harder time trying to understand it in the real world. I believe that everyone has the right to life and that killing innocent human life is always a bad thing. In cases where life is at danger for two parties, however, how are we to determine what is the right thing to do? Nonetheless, I still think that the idea that all human life is very important to living morally.
The Principle of Association:
“Our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society - in economics and politics, in law and policy - directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.”
For any person to grow, they must be included and integrated into a society. The most important group is the family, “whose stability must always be protected and never undermined.” In family groups, the person’s potential is realized and they may grow to fulfillment.
I really believe in this teaching because I believe it is very important for a person to be part of a caring and fostering family. Without the love and support of such a group, a person can grow up to be a less happy, mature, or functional adult. However, with the support of this group, people have a better chance of growing up fulfilled.
The Principle of Participation:
“We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.”
Every person has a right to be included in those institutions which are necessary for human growth and fulfillment. Without this opportunity, a person cannot fully realize their potential. This teaching applies to work in the sense that, “the basic rights of workers must be respected,” such as the right to productive work or decent wages, for personally fulfilling work.
I also believe in this teaching because everyone needs to be included in some institutions so that they may earn money, recreate, or whatever reason they may have. I think it is important for people to be included in such institutions because they need people to function, and people need them to function (in life in general).
The Principle of Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable:
“In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the last judgment and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.”
In our society where the rich and poor are so separate, we should focus on helping those poor and vulnerable who need our help the most so as to create a society that is supportive of everyone. We, as a society, need it to be morally upright.
Going to a school like SLUH, I have to believe in this. Being faced with donations and drives all the time, I realize how important and how massive of a job it is to help the poor and vulnerable. I believe in this enough that I donate some money every time someone asks for donations for a drive. I think it’s important enough.
The Principle of Solidarity:
“Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family. Learning to practice the virtue of solidarity means learning that loving our neighbor has global dimensions in an interdependent world.”
“The principle of solidarity functions as a moral category that leads to choices that will promote and protect the common good.” Basically, this means that we should make decisions that are good for everyone.
The Principle of Stewardship:
“The Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation”
We all have a responsibility to take care of our physical environment because we have a responsibility to show respect for God’s creation. It is morally right to protect the environment. Stewardship also refers to how we take care of ourselves, as another of God’s creation, and how we use our talents, pay attention to personal health, etc.
In our current time, I believe that this teaching is very important. When we hear about the polar caps melting, O-zone depletion, and other such natural disasters, I find it even more important to take care of the planet. I also think if more people understood this teaching, we would have a better world. I also believe it is important for us to use our talents that God gave us, because not to use them would be wasteful of his creation.
The Principle of Subsidiarity:
This principle deals with, “the responsibilities and limits of government, and the essential roles of voluntary associations.”
This principle puts a limit to the power of government by insisting that, “no higher level of organization should perform any function that can be handled efficiently at a lower level of organization by human persons…” This teaching is important because it stresses the importance of the human person in the governmental process as opposed to the tendency of some bureaucracy to over-manage things. It also shows how oppressive governments are bad because they violate the human’s rights in their government.
Although I know some background about this topic, it seems to be pretty important. I believe that it is important that people do not get lost in governmental policy, but rather that people work together in government to make the body governed the best it can be. I think that is the essential goal of government, and by abiding by this guideline, that goal would be much simpler.
The Principle of Human Equality:
"Equality of all persons comes from their essential dignity. While differences in talents are a part of God's plan, social and cultural discrimination in fundamental rights are not compatible with God's design."
There is a strong concept in people on what is "fair" or right/wrong. We have an impulse to treat others equally. This could also be referred to as justice. This says that, although everyone is different, we should accept those people and their differences because to discriminate them is morally wrong.
I believe in this teaching and I also believe it is one of the most pertinent to people of our age group. In schools, there are so many people who are different to you (people in different clubs, groups, teams, etc) that it is easy to stay with your own group. I think that this teaching tells us we need to tolerate and accept those people and recognize their differences.
The Principle of Common Good:
"The common good is understood as the social conditions that allow people to reach their full human potential and to realize their human dignity."
This part of Catholic social teaching tells us that we need to be aware of the common good all over the world, not just our own little corner of it. The call for justice expands across the world, which we are supposed to answer. The common good is basically anything that does not include, "unbridled individualism...unrestrained selfishness in person relationships...and that which destroys balance, harmony, and peace within and among groups."
I believe that this is a very important aspect of Catholic social teaching. I think that it is important to realize that we are not the most important person in the world, and that there is always someone who needs help somewhere in the world. I believe in the knowledge of people to others not around them and the actions that these people take.